Everyone has heard that quote “Time and tide wait for none”. We tend to take a lot of statements and customs at their face value, not probing further, assuming them to be absolute. This makes us create these truths in our heads which are seldom broken in our lifetime. Taking Sartre’s advice, I’ve started questioning a lot of things lately including the nature of time.
Anyway, coming back to the quote. Let’s look at it further – Time waits for no one – implies time is an unstoppable force- isolated and beyond our control.
But, what exactly is time?
Google tells me time is ” the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole “.
We look at our memories and get nostalgic – reliving moments that have already happened inside our head, albeit slightly altered for our conscience to easily digest it.
Without our memories, would we’ve been aware of time?
When the past becomes too painful to relive and the future- too scary to imagine, we become bound to the present.
Our mind shields us from the pain by blindsiding us to the truth – as it does for all the painful truths of our existence. Self-preservation always takes precedence . We humans, though cursed with conscience, are painfully oblivious to how primitive all our actions are and how similar we are to the rest of life on the planet. Schopenhauer rises as a shining voice of reason when we think about these things. The Will to live drives us – forces us to survive – makes sure everything necessary for our and our species survival makes us feel “happy” – sex, companionship, children. It blocks out the bigger picture – the nature of our existence. Alas, we – unlike our fellow earthlings- have consciousness. So some get to lose their sleep pondering over the nature of our existence.
A peek into my head 